This is the first in our planned monthly University Corner series – a comment piece from our sister publication Global University Venturing.
Author: Gregg Bayes-Brown
Novartis lines up $300m Sideris drug acquisition
Novartis Pharmaceuticals signs deal worth a possible $300m to acquire the lead drug asset of Sideris Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of transfusion-related iron overload; concurrently, Sideris raises $32m series A funding.
Samsung powers Auckland by Proxi
Auckland spin-out PowerbyProxi attracts $4m from Samsung for wireless power system.
Innovative region: UK
A look at the UK’s university commercialisation ecosystem in the first of a regular regional analysis series by our sister title Global University Venturing.
Big Deal: Samsung’s Novaled buy in HD
This week’s Big Deal looks at what Samsung stands to gain from the acquisition of Technical University Dresden’s spin-out Novaled and its OLED patents.
Samsung seals Novaled deal
Samsung and its display manufacturer subsidiary Cheil Industries acquire OLED manufacturer Novaled.
OncoMed hits $82m for IPO
Michigan cancer-fighting biotech spin-out lands $82m in IPO.
Kymeta satellites $50m
Kymeta Corporation, a satellite parts manufacturer, raises $50m series C with backing from consortium including Liberty Global.
Tsinghua’s smart money
While some commentators are scratching their heads over Tsinghua University’s unsolicited $1.3bn buyout offer of smartphone chipset manufacturer Spreadtrum Communications, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that the institution wants in on the smartphone market. The technology behind the smartphone would even have Captain Jean Luc Picard ditching his tricorder, but what’s more astonishing… Continue reading Tsinghua’s smart money
Coursera laughs all the way to the World Bank
Stanford edutech startup Coursera lands $43m in a series B backed by The World Bank, GSV Capital and others.
Autifony collaborates on schizophrenia
London-based biotech Autifony has signed a £2.75m ($4.25m) collaboration deal with the universities of Newcastle and Manchester to develop treatments for schizophrenia. The bulk of the funding comes from a £1.9m award made to Autifony and the universities by UK innovation agency the Technology Strategy Board. As part of the collaboration, Autifony will provide its… Continue reading Autifony collaborates on schizophrenia
Big Deal: Index gets blood pumping
Venture capital firm Index Ventures has made its biggest investment yet in a life sciences firm after putting $11m behind biotech firm XO1 from its $200m life sciences fund backed by drugs companies Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Index, which has 21 current life science investments in its portfolio, was the sole participant in… Continue reading Big Deal: Index gets blood pumping
Spotlight on the research agenda
Recent developments in the UK and US suggest that collaboration to foster stronger spin-outs is on the right track. But more conversations, such as those that NCET2 is having at the symposium and around the US, need to take place in order to understand how best to develop and support the community, leading to a more sustain- able form of capitalism.
In-Q-Tel writes Narrative
Narrative previously held a $6m series A round in 2011, backed by venture capital firm Battery Ventures as the sole participant.